Police to investigate beating of disabled Tenn. man

Mar. 7, 2014
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Prince Bradley, 24, of Nashville is severely autistic and needs two caregivers present at all times. One of his caregivers is accused of beating him in an incident captured on a cellphone video. / The (Nashville) Tennessean

by Anita Wadhwani, The (Nashville) Tennessean

by Anita Wadhwani, The (Nashville) Tennessean

NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has launched its own investigation into the alleged abuse of Prince Bradley, a 24-year-old man with intellectual disabilities whose beating was captured on a cellphone video obtained by The Tennessean.

The TBI confirmed it had opened an investigation Wednesday into two separate incidents involving Bradley. One involves the Sept. 23 videotaped beating reported last week by The Tennessean.

In the video Bradley can be seen cowering while being hit in the face and head at least four times, allegedly by one of his longtime caretakers. The video was taken by Jamar Wilson, a second caretaker on duty in Bradley's home that Monday morning, who told The Tennessean the beating continued even after he turned the camera off.

The TBI is also investigating a separate incident involving Bradley on Feb. 25. Details of that incident are unknown.

TBI is not the only agency to launch an investigation this week regarding the treatment of Bradley, who has been profoundly disabled since birth and unable to live on his own.

The Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities this week launched two new investigations, after Bradley suffered additional injuries in the first week of March. DIDD also has launched a third inquiry regarding $60 missing from Bradley's home.

"I'm frustrated, I'm tired, and they can't give me any direct answers on how my son is continuing to get hurt," said his mother, Shayanne Crittenden.

On Tuesday, Bradley was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he received three stitches for a cut near his right ear, Crittenden said. On Wednesday, he suffered a bruised eye.

Crittenden said she was told that her son fell when he got the cut near his ear, and the next day bruised his eye in a van.

"The way they're saying my son has gotten hurt in these last two incidents doesn't add up. It just doesn't make any sense," she said. "I find it unbelievable that the last incident especially, on the side of his face, they're saying he fell."

DIDD officials said they are working jointly with TBI regarding physical abuse allegations. Bradley's more recent injuries are being investigated internally, according to spokeswoman Cara Kumari, who noted that he has a history of sustaining injuries and has had self-injurious behaviors in the past.

Bradley has a severe form of autism and is unable to speak more than a few words. When he is calm he often smiles, but at times the 6-foot-1 Bradley can be aggressive, breaking things and lashing out. He lives in a two-bedroom home but requires two caregivers at all times to keep him safe.

The home is managed by Support Solutions of Tennessee, a private agency that contracts with DIDD to provide services to people with intellectual disabilities, with an IQ of 70 or less.

Since 2010, the agency has had 32 documented cases of neglect, five cases of physical abuse and three cases of psychological abuse at homes and programs that Support Solutions has operated, according to DIDD. The agency serves about 320 people across the state.

DIDD officials said Support Solutions provides care for some of the state's most behaviorally challenged individuals. Support Solutions officials did not respond to a phone message.

After The Tennessean's report last week on Bradley's beating, DIDD's chief attorney Theresa Sloan called the videotaped beating "something so egregious and so horrendous it bothers every one of us to know it's occurred."

Police arrested the alleged perpetrator of the beating, Nnanyelu Nnodu, 33, Bradley's caretaker for more than two years, who returns to court for a March 17 hearing.

On the day of the beating, DIDD officials and Support Solutions officials worked into the evening to inform all Nnodu's previous employers of the incident, Kumari said. He was fired three days later.

"DIDD conducts thorough investigations into any and all allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation," Kumari said. "In addition, we routinely collaborate with law enforcement and use all available legal resources to bring alleged perpetrators to justice."

Before Support Solutions hired Nnodu to care for Bradley, he had been found to have neglected another disabled person while working for a different company.